What Americans support (and don't support) in cutting the deficit

The entire debt debate has raised this question: What do you do to reduce the nation's deficit?

Republicans want to strictly cut government spending, while preserving all tax cuts and tax breaks. President Obama, by contrast, favors a balanced approach -- some spending cuts, plus revenue increases and tax hikes.

But what about the American public? Back in February, at the very outset of this deficit/debt debate, our NBC/WSJ poll measured 26 different ways to reduce the deficit or to cut spending. The list runs from most acceptable to least acceptable.

-- Placing a surtax on federal income taxes for people earning over $1 million a year: 81% acceptable-- Eliminating spending on so-called earmarks for special projects and specific areas of the country: 78% acceptable-- Eliminating funding for weapons systems the Defense Department says are not necessary: 76% acceptable-- Eliminating tax credits for the oil and gas industries: 74% acceptable-- Phasing out the Bush tax cuts for families earning $250,000 or more per year: 68% acceptable-- Freezing annual domestic spending at its current level for the next five years: 67% acceptable-- Reducing Medicare and Social Security benefits for wealthier retirees: 62% acceptable-- Gradually raising the Social Security retirement age to 69 by 2075: 56% acceptable-- Cutting funding for the new health-care law so that parts of it will not be put into effect or enforced: 51% acceptable-- Reducing agriculture subsidies or support to farmers and ranchers: 45% acceptable-- Eliminating funding to Planned Parenthood for family planning and preventive health services: 45% acceptable-- Gradually turning Medicare from a system in which the government pays for most beneficiaries' medical bills into a program in which seniors would receive government-assisted vouchers to purchase private insurance: 44% acceptable